The Luna You Betrayed Is No Longer Yours

Chapter 60: Chapter 60 Rowena exposed everything

_Rowena’s POV_

I let the name settle before I continued.

I remembered when I talked about this earlier, even Celeste reprimanded me for calling Alice out without evidence. I was tried of hiding. It was time to put an end to this madness.

Miriam was sitting very still. Vicky had put down everything she’d been holding and was watching me with a focused attention.

Kasper had moved away from the door and closer to the center of the room, which was his way of indicating that what came next required his full operational presence.

Alice was looking at the table.

“The Calin was actually Drake,” I said. “Drake Ashford. Dickson’s son.”

Nobody spoke, but I saw the reactions.

I had found out about these before entering this room.

Before showing up to help Kasper. I had connected the dots, thanks to Corby. I wouldn’t tell anyone that as of yet.

I kept my eyes on Alice’s face while I said it, because the face was where the information I needed would appear, the micro-expression of someone hearing a reveal they didn’t expect, or the different expression of someone who already knew and is managing the knowledge of being known.

What I saw was the second one.

She had known Drake’s identity was at risk of being exposed. She had known it was coming.

The composure she was maintaining was not the composure of surprise, it was the composure of a woman who has prepared for a worst case and is now inside it and is still calculating.

“Dickson’s research,” I continued, turning to the room, “was not simply about blood extraction. That was the mechanism, the how. The goal was something more specific and considerably more disturbing. He was developing a compound designed to absorb what he described in his documentation as life energy, the biological vitality of human hosts, and transfer it to wolf recipients in a way that would extend their natural lifespan.” I kept my voice level. “Not healing. Not recovery from injury or illness. Actual biological immortality, achieved by progressively draining human beings until their systems failed.”

Miriam gasped in shock.

“That’s why the workers died,” I said. “They saw the lower facility that Alice had collaborated with Dickson for. They understood what they were looking at and they couldn’t be allowed to leave with that understanding.” I looked at Alice. “And that’s why seven members of this family died over twenty-six years. Because they found pieces of this and someone needed those pieces to stay unfound.”

The room wasn’t breathing this time.

“This woman, Alice,” I said, “has been Dickson’s operational partner since before the Continuance Program had a name. She provided the company infrastructure, the documentation cover, the family access, and the physical facility. She cleared out the staff members who might notice things and replaced them with people who wouldn’t.” I paused. “She has also been Dickson’s personal partner. Which is relevant because of what that partnership cost her.”

Alice’s jaw moved slightly.

“The compound has significant side effects when taken by a human recipient,” I said. “Dickson was developing it for wolf physiology. Human biology processes it differently, the initial effects are described as increased energy and reduced aging markers. The long-term effects are chest tightness, abdominal pain, and progressive organ failure.” I kept my eyes on her as I said again. “You’ve been taking it yourself. You’ve been taking it for years, because Dickson promised it would work for you too. And it worked, for a while.” I tilted my head. “But it’s not working anymore. Is it.”

The silence was complete.

Alice looked at me across the table. The performance was still there, she was too experienced to drop it entirely, but underneath it, she was scared ti death.

She said nothing.

“The pain you’ve been managing,” I said. “The way you’ve been sitting this past week. The hands.” I kept my voice steady. “You’re a fool for not knowing that Dickson actually poisoned you. Not deliberately, perhaps, perhaps he genuinely believed his compound would work for human recipients eventually. But the version that exists now, the version you’ve been taking, is doing to your organs what it was designed to do to the hosts in that facility.” I paused. “He’s been drawing your life to fund someone else’s immortality and you didn’t see it until it was already inside you.”

Vicky exhaled slowly.

I turned to Patrick.

“She was going to let you take the full weight of this,” I said. “You and Rita both. The courtyard, the letter, everything traceable, all of it was going to land on you while she managed her exit.” I looked at him directly. “You understand now what your role was in this arrangement.”

Patrick paled and breathed heavily. “I understand,” he said quietly. His voice was flat and I knew he was scared too.

“Then help me finish it,” I said.

He nodded.

I looked at Kasper.

He already knew what I was going to say. I could see it in the way he was standing.

“Gabriel,” I suddenly blurted out.

Kasper’s expression did the thing it did when Gabriel’s name came up, a tightening around the eyes, his jaw clenching. “Rowena....”

“I know,” I said. “Call him anyway. We need his office and we need the chain of custody clean from this point. He’s the right person.”

Kasper looked at me for a moment.

“I know you two aren’t speaking,” I said. “Call him anyway. This is bigger than that.”

After a moment, Kasper straightened and took out his phone.

I looked at Alice.

She was looking at her hands now.

“I’m going to give you the opportunity to cooperate,” I said to Alice. “Once. Completely and truthfully, with full documentation of everything you know about the network, Drake’s current location, and Dickson’s secondary facilities.” I kept my voice even. “If you cooperate, I’ll make sure the medical situation is addressed. The compound’s effects are partially reversible at this stage, Celeste’s medical contacts can confirm that. You would receive treatment.”

Alice looked up at me.

“If you don’t cooperate,” I said, “the Alpha King’s office receives everything we have and you face it without any consideration from this family.”

Everyone waited for her to respond. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

“I love where this is going. Surely she cannot say no.” Kyra gritted out, feeling angered by everything.

“I want the treatment confirmed first,” she said calmly.

“I’ll have Celeste’s contact here within the hour,” I said.

Alice nodded.

It was not a surrender, exactly. It was a transaction. Which was the only language she had ever spoken.

I’d play her game with her.

I stood up and went to find Kasper.